Fall mat with topper pad

ABSTRACT

Disclosed herein is a fall mat that includes a bottom body including at least one self inflating cell in operable communication with a valve. The valve is exposed to the ambient environment. Further, a top pad made from a foam material is connectable to the bottom body such that the top pad is an adjacent layer above the bottom body.

FIELD OF THE TECHNOLOGY

The subject matter disclosed herein relates to fall mats for climbing,gymnastics, or stunts. More particularly, the subject matter relates toa self inflatable and self adjustable fall mat with a topper pad that iscollapsible for easy transportation and storage.

BACKGROUND

Fall mats, also referred to as bouldering mats or crash pads, are usedfor climbing or stunts to prevent serious injury when a climber,gymnast, or stuntman falls from a boulder, rope (gymnastic or rockclimbing), pole, tree, ice or snow formation, structure or rock wall.Fall mats are often used to cover dangerous sections of the ground belowa chosen climb or stunt such as protruding rocks, grass tufts, pavement,concrete or the like. A typical fall mat utilizes foam. Because fallmats are made of foam, they are generally still cumbersome to carry evenwhen folded. Furthermore, foam crash pads cannot adjust to theparticular amount of impact pressure necessary to break a climber'sfall.

Thus, a self inflatable and self adjustable fall mat with a topper padthat is collapsible for easy transportation and storage would be wellreceived in the art.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION

According to one aspect, a fall mat comprises: a bottom body includingat least one self inflating cell in operable communication with a valve,wherein the valve is exposed to the ambient environment; and a top padmade from a foam material connectable to the bottom body such that thetop pad is an adjacent layer above the bottom body.

According to another aspect, a fall mat comprising: a top pad; a bottombody that is self inflatable; wherein the bottom body and the top padare securable in an adjacent position where a bottom surface of the toppad abuts a top surface of the bottom body top pad and the bottom bodyshare a plane; wherein the bottom body is detachable from the top bodyand is compressible and roll-able into a compressed and rolled upposition, and wherein the top pad is securable about the compressed androlled up bottom body.

According to another aspect, a fall mat comprises: a top pad surroundedby a first cover; and a bottom body that includes a second coversurrounding a plurality of self-expanding cells and a protective bottomlayer that is located under the plurality of self-expanding cells;wherein the top pad and the bottom body are connected along an edge at ahinge such that the top pad is rotatable about the bottom body along thehinge.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The subject matter which is regarded as the invention is particularlypointed out and distinctly claimed in the claims at the conclusion ofthe specification. The foregoing and other features and advantages ofthe invention are apparent from the following detailed description takenin conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 depicts a perspective view of fall mat having a top pad and abottom body set up under a climber in accordance with one embodiment;

FIG. 2 depicts a perspective view of the fall mat of FIG. 1 with the toppad rotated about a hinge with respect to the bottom body in accordancewith one embodiment;

FIG. 3 depicts a perspective view of the fall mat of FIGS. 1-2 with thebottom body rolled up in accordance with one embodiment;

FIG. 4 depicts a perspective view of the fall mat of FIGS. 1-3 in acollapsed position for transportation in accordance with one embodiment;

FIG. 5 depicts a perspective cutaway view of the fall mat of FIGS. 1-4in an open position in accordance with one embodiment;

FIG. 6 depicts a cross sectional side view of the fall mat of FIG. 1 ina closed position taken at arrows 6-6 in accordance with one embodiment;

FIG. 7 depicts a perspective view of another fall mat in a closedposition accordance with one embodiment;

FIG. 8 depicts a perspective cutaway view of the fall mat of FIG. 7 inan open position in accordance with one embodiment; and

FIG. 9 depicts a cross sectional side view of the fall mat of FIGS. 7-8taken at arrows 9-9 in accordance with one embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

A detailed description of the hereinafter described embodiments of thedisclosed apparatus and method are presented herein by way ofexemplification and not limitation with reference to the Figures.

Referring first to FIGS. 1-4, a fall mat 10 is shown. The fall mat 10may also be referred to as a bouldering mat, a crash pad, stunt pad,gymnastic pad, or the like. Whatever the embodiment, the fall mat 10 maybe configured to break the fall of a climber, stuntman or gymnast 12that falls from a boulder 14 or other high surface, as shown in FIG. 1.The fall mat 10 includes a top pad 16 and a bottom body 18. The bottombody 18 of the fall mat 10 may be self-inflatable when an open/shutmanifold valve 20 is opened to allow air to enter within the bottom body18. After use, the top pad 16 may be detached from the bottom body 18and rotated about a hinge 22 with respect to the bottom body 18, asshown in FIG. 2. The valve 20 may again be opened to allow a user tomanually compress the bottom body 18 and roll it up in order to conservespace for transportation, as shown in FIG. 3. The rolled up bottom body18 may then be surrounded by the top pad 16 to achieve a compact rollfor ease of transportation and storage, as shown in FIG. 4.

Referring now to FIGS. 5-6, the internal components of the fall mat 10are shown. FIG. 5 shows a cutaway view of the bottom body 18 of the fallmat 10, while FIG. 6 shows a cross sectional side view of the fall mat10. The bottom body 18 may include a plurality of self-inflating cells24 housed within a cover 26. The embodiment depicted includes tenself-inflating cells 24 that are oriented in an adjacent fashion.However, in other embodiments more or less self-inflating cells 24 maybe utilized. For example, in another embodiment, only six self-inflatingcells 24 may be used. Any number of self-inflating cells 24, for exampleeach number between four to twelve, may be utilized depending on thesize and shape of the cells, and the desirable size of the fall mat 10.The self-inflating cells 24 may each comprise an outer envelope 28 madefrom a flexibly rigid material, such as a polymeric or inorganicmembrane or laminate such as polyurethane, for example. The envelope 28is any non-porous membrane or laminate that retains air either alone orin an open cell foam or reticulated foam structure. The self-inflatingcells 24 may each have a hollow interior within the outer envelope 26.The material or physical configuration of the outer envelope 26 in thisembodiment is made of a resilient material or structure that has theability to absorb energy when it is deformed elastically and then, uponunloading to have this energy recovered. For example the outer layer maybe a spring or laminate or composite material that reforms uponcompression. In the embodiment depicted, the outer envelope 28 of eachof the self-inflating cells 24 has a rounded rectangular cross sectionin an expanded state. In an expanded state, the outer envelopes 26 mayhave a thickness between 2 inches and 5 inches, for example. In oneembodiment, the outer envelopes 26 have a thickness of 3.5 inches.Further, the self-inflating cells 24 are elongated to span across theentire dimensional length of the bottom body 28. However, the embodimentdepicted is not limiting, and the fall mat 10 is contemplated to have aplurality of both rows and columns of smaller self-inflating cells 24.Further, the self inflating cells 24 may have different cross sectionaldimensions such as square, oval, or triangular.

When in an inflated state, air may occupy the interior volume of theself-inflating cells 24. Whatever the material of the outer envelope 26,the outer envelope 26 may have an elasticity and resilience that allowsfor the outer envelope 26 to expand back to its original full-volumestate after compression. In one embodiment, the outer envelope 26 maysurround a self-expanding foam material that causes the cells 24 toself-inflate. In another embodiment, the outer envelope may include oneor more internal coil springs to provide for expansion aftercompression. The internal coil springs may be oriented vertically tohelp initiate vertical expansion after compression of the fall mat 10.In another embodiment, the self inflating cells 24 may contain fluidcells within the outer envelope 26 that provide for self-inflation. Thefluid cells may be helical cells with an exterior of material defined byfolds along which the fluid cell collapses when loaded. The folds may behelical in nature, spiraling from the bottom of the fluid cell to thetop of the fluid cell. Single, double, or triple helical designs arecontemplated. The fluid cells may be oriented vertically such that theycollapse and expand in a vertical or upright direction. The fluid cellsmay be constructed such that several fluid cells are utilized along thelength of each self-inflating cell 24. Each of the fluid cells maycontain air such that they are air springs. In one embodiment, each ofthe self-inflating fluid cells may be connected individually to the airdistribution system 27.

The self-inflating cell 24 may be any cell which has a spring bias whicheffects the reformation of the self-inflating cell 24 such that the cell24 collapses when loaded with a load having a force which is greaterthan the sum of the forces within the cell 24, including the pressure ofthe fluid inside the cell 24 multiplied by the area of the cell 24supporting the load, plus the reforming force of the cell 24, and saidcell 24 reforms when said load is reduced to a load having a force whichis less than the sum of the force within the cell 24 and the reformingforce of the cell 24. Thus, the self-inflating cells 24 may each beconfigured to expand to this maximum volume state after compression. Forexample, when the fall mat 10 is at a resting state after beingcompressed, the expanding mechanical nature of the self-inflating cells24 may put an expansive pressure on the system. However, the outerpolyurethane material of the outer envelope 26 may also be flexible suchthat a compressive force may overcome this expansive pressure from theself-inflating cells 24. This may allow the bottom body 18 to be foldedand compressed after use for transportation and storage.

The self-inflating cells 24 may each be connected via an airdistribution system 27. The air distribution system 27 may include amanifold 29 that connect each of the self-inflating cells 24 to thevalve 20. The manifold 29 may include a number of connected conduits,channels, ducts, pipes, and/or tubes for distributing air to and fromthe system. The manifold 29 may be made from a flexible material toaccommodate the rolling up of the fall mat 10 for transportation andstorage. Alternately, the manifold 29 may be stiff, in the case that therolling of the fall mat 10 does not bend the manifold 29. The stiffnessor flexibility of the manifold 29 may vary depending on the embodiment.Furthermore, the cross sectional thickness of the conduits of themanifold 29 may vary in order to allow more or less airflow. Forexample, the conduits of the manifold 29 may have between a ¼ and ½ inchcross sectional orifice opening. In one embodiment, the cross sectionalopening may be ⅜ of an inch.

The valve 20 may be a manual valve that is capable of being manuallytoggled between an opened and a closed state. When the valve 20 is in anopen state and the self-inflating cells 24 are in a compressed state,the mechanical tendency of the self-inflating cells 24 to expand from acompressed state generates air flow through the valve 20 from theoutside environment into the self-inflating cells 24 to fill theexpanding volume within the envelope 26. In contrast, when the valve 20is in an open state and the self-inflating cells 24 are in an expandedstate, compression of the self-inflating cells generates flow of airthrough the valve 20 coming from within the self-inflating cells 24 andexiting to the outside environment. The valve 20 is shown on a rightedge 38 of the bottom body 18. However, in other embodiments the valve20 may be at other locations. Furthermore, a plurality of valves (notshown) may be desirable in order to achieve faster expansion andcompression by allowing for increased airflow into and out of theself-inflating cells 24 of the bottom body 18.

As shown in FIGS. 5-6, the cover 26 of the bottom body 18 may furtherhouse within it a bottom layer 30 that covers the entire surface area ofthe bottom body 18. The bottom layer 30 may be made from a membrane orlaminate such as polyurethane, for example, and may protect theself-inflating cells 24 from damage caused by rocks or other protrusionsthat may be under the fall mat 10 during operation. The bottom layer 30may be a harder foam material that is also flexible. The bottom layer 30may also be tear resistant such including a para-aramid synthetic fiber.The bottom layer 30 may be about an inch thick. However, any appropriatematerial and thickness may be apparent to those skilled in the art. Thebottom layer 30 may be made of 50 ILD (Indentation Load Deflection)foam. The bottom layer 30 may, for example, have a one inch thickness.The thickness of the bottom layer may have a range between ½ an inch and2 inches. The bottom body 18 may also include a top layer (not shown)having a similar thickness that is also made from harder 50 ILD foam,similar to the bottom layer 30. This may further help protect the cells32.

The top pad 16 is shown located directly above and adjacent to thebottom body 18. The top pad 16 may be made from polyethylene foam in oneembodiment. The top pad 16 may be made from relatively hard foam havinga high-density. This may be in order to prevent a climber's foot fromsinking into the fall-mat 10 and impacting protrusions from the groundthat may be felt on a fall. The top pad 16 may be housed within its owncover 32 that is separate from the cover 26 of the bottom body 18. Thus,the fall mat 10 may include two covers 26, 32. This two cover system mayallow both the bottom body 18 and the top pad 16 to be used as a cushionagainst the ground, as shown in FIG. 2 when in an opened state.

The top pad 16 and the bottom body 18 may be connected at the hinge 22.The hinge 22 may provide for rotation of the top pad 16 about the bottombody 18 along the right edge 38 of each of the top pad 16 and the bottombody 18. The hinge 22 may be a connecting piece of material locatedbetween the two covers 26, 32. The hinge 22 may extend along the rightedge 38, for example, of each of the top pad 16 and the bottom body 18,as shown in FIG. 1. Thus, the top pad 16 may be opened like a book aboutthe right edge 38 in order to allow for a greater surface area of theground to be covered, as shown in FIG. 2. While the fall mat 10 may notbe capable of best protecting a falling rock climber without both thetop pad 16 and the bottom body 18 in the adjacent or closed positionshown in FIG. 1, the open position shown in FIG. 2 may be ideal to covera greater surface area to allow more people to sit, lay or otherwiserest on the cushions of the fall mat 10 when climbing is not occurring.In other words, the fall mat 10 may also be used as a cushion againstthe ground when a climber wishes to rest. In other embodiments, thehinge 22 may be a strip of material that is sewn into both covers 26,32. The hinge 22 material may also be connected via hook and loop oranother appropriate fastener. Buttons, a zipper, or any other fasteningmeans are contemplated. Whatever embodiment, the hinge 22 may beconfigured to keep the top pad 16 rotatably attached to the bottom body18. It should be understood that the hinge 22 may be an optionalcomponent of the fall mat 10, and that some embodiments may not includea hinge. Rather, the top pad 16 and the bottom body 18 may be completelyseperable.

The top pad 16 and the bottom body 18 may further include hook and loopportions 34 in order to properly secure the fall mat 10 in the adjacentor closed position shown in FIG. 1. Thus, a left edge 36 of each of thetop pad 16 and the bottom body 18 may include strips of correspondinghook and loop material in order to secure the fall mat 10 into placeduring operation. While the embodiment in the Figures includes hook andloop portions 34, other embodiments are contemplated, such as buttons,zippers, or any other fastening means. Further, the hook and loopportions 34 may also be along top and bottom edges 40, 42 in addition tothe left edge 36. Alternately, the hook and loop portions 34 may be atany other locations on the top face of the bottom body 18 and the bottomface of the top pad 16 that would provide for securing the bottom body18 with the top pad 16 during use.

In operation, a climber 12 may transport the fall mat 10 to a desirableboulder 14, rock or other wall to climb. During the transportation, thebottom body 18 may be in a compressed and rolled-up state as shown inFIG. 4. When a desirable location is reached, the climber 12 may unrollthe compressed fall mat 10. To unroll the compressed fall mat 10, theclimber 12 may first be required to unfasten hook and loop fasteningmaterial that holds that top pad 16 in position around the rolled upbottom body 18. Then, the climber 12 may unroll the bottom body 18 andplace the top pad 16 into position above the bottom body 18. The top pad16 and the bottom body 18 may be secured into place in this position bythe hook and loop portions 34.

The climber 12 may then open the valve 20. Upon opening the valve 20,the expansive pressure from the elasticity and resilience of theself-inflating cells 24 may cause the self inflating cells 24 of thebottom body 18 to expand or inflate. Air then enters the bottom body 18through the valve 20. Once the fall-mat is fully expanded, the climber12 may close the valve 20 to prevent air from entering or leaving thebottom body 18. In this state, the fall mat 10 becomes a closed systemwhere the pressure exerted by the fall mat 10 on a falling climber willcorrespondingly adjust to the amount of pressure exerted by the fallingclimber on the fall mat 10. In other words, the harder the climberfalls, the harder the fall mat 10 will feel, and vice versa.

To pack up the fall mat 10 for transportation once the climber 12finishes, the climber 12 may once again toggle the valve 20 into anopened state. The climber 12 may then separate the bottom body 18 fromthe top pad 16 by separating the hook and loop portion 34 and rotatingthe top pad 16 about the bottom body 18 with the hinge 22. In thisposition, the climber 12 may compress the bottom body 18 of the fall mat10 to force the air out of the self inflating cells 24. This compressionmay overcome the expanding tendency of the self-inflating cells. Theclimber 12 may roll the bottom body 18 up, as shown in FIG. 3. Then, theclimber 12 may surround the rolled bottom body 18 with the top pad 16.Hook and loop portion 34 of the top pad 16 may be utilized to retain thetop pad 16 in a surrounded position about the rolled up bottom body 18.For example, a first hook and loop portion 34 of the bottom body 18 mayintegrate with a second hook and loop portion 34 at a proper location ofthe top pad 16.

Tests were also conducted by the inventor on a fall mat containing manyof the features described hereinabove. During those tests, 210 pounds ofweight was dropped on a fall mat having a body with envelopes from 15feet, 20 feet and 25 feet. The fall mat tested included six airenvelopes having a 10 mil polyurethane envelope. The manifold on thetested fall mat included 1.4 inch diameter cylinders. The envelopesrested on top of a bottom layer having 1 inch thickness 50 ILDpolyurethane foam. The body was enclosed by a 1000 Denier Cordura cover.No top pad was used on the tests. From up to a 25 foot fall height, theinternal pressure generated was withstood by the envelopes.

Referring now to FIGS. 7-9, another embodiment of a fall mat 100 isshown. The fall mat 100 may be similar to the fall mat 10 describedhereinabove. Thus, the fall mat 100 may be configured to break the fallof a climber 112 that falls from a boulder 114 or other climbingsurface, as shown in FIG. 7. The fall mat 100 includes a top pad 116 anda bottom body 118, similar to the top pad 16 and bottom body 18described hereinabove. The bottom body 118 of the fall mat 100 may beself-inflatable when a two way open and shut manifold valve 120, shownlocated at a right side 121 of the bottom body 118, is opened to allowair to enter within the bottom body 18. After use, the top pad 116 maybe detached from the bottom body 118 and rotated about a hinge 122 withrespect to the bottom body 18, as shown in FIG. 2. The manifold valve120 may again be opened to allow a user to manually compress the bottombody 118 and roll it up in order to conserve space for transportation,similar to the embodiment of the fall mat 10 in FIG. 3. Like theprevious embodiment, the rolled up bottom body 118 may then besurrounded by the top pad 116 to achieve a compact roll for ease oftransportation and storage.

Unlike the fall mat 10 described hereinabove, the fall mat 100 includesa check valve 124 and a pressure release valve 126 that are eachconnected to an air distribution system 128 that includes conduits ormanifold 130, similar to the manifold 29 described hereinabove. As shownin FIG. 8, the air distribution system 128 may include conduits 130 thatare connected to a plurality of cells 132. The pressure release valve126 may be located at a mid point in the manifold and may be set to openwhen the pressure inside the cells 132 and in the manifold system 29reaches a predetermined level. Thus, even when the manifold valve 120 isshut, the pressure release valve 126 may still be configured to allowair to exit the cells 132 through the air distribution system 128 andthrough the pressure release valve 126 when the pressure in the cells132 reaches the predetermined level in order to prevent damage to theplurality of cells 132. For example, if the climber 112 were to fallfrom the boulder 114 from such a height that would potentially damagethe internal cells 132, the pressure relief valve 126 may be set to openin order to relieve the system of the excessive pressure and expel airuntil the pressure in the system is reduced below the predeterminedlevel.

Shown in FIG. 9, the check valve 124 is shown located on a left side 134of the manifold 130. The check valve 124 may be a one way valve that isconfigured to only allow air to enter into the air distribution system128 when the pressure inside the cells 132 is less than the ambient airpressure. This valve 124 allows air to enter into the cells 132 evenwhen the manifold valve 120 is shut or closed. The check valve 124 maythus allow the cells 132 to re-inflate after the pressure relief valve126 has allowed for air to expel out of the system. This re-inflationmay occur in use even when the manifold valve 120 is closed.

Referring now to FIGS. 8-9, the cells 132 are also shown oriented ninetydegrees within the bottom body 118 compared to the cells 24 of the fallmat 10. In other words, the cells 132 extend parallel to the directionof rolling when the fall mat 100 is rolled up for transportation andstorage. The manifold 130 is shown extending along the hinged side ofthe fall mat 100. This position may allow the fall mat 100 to be rolledup in a transportation position without bending the manifold 130. Thesepositions are not meant to be limiting. For example, the orientation ofthe cells 132 in this embodiment may be similar to the embodimentdescribed hereinabove with respect to the fall mat 10. The manifold 130may be included on any appropriate side of the fall mat 100. Themanifold 130 may further include conduits having similar diameters tothe manifold 29 described hereinabove.

Furthermore, the cells 132 in this embodiment may be filled with anexpanding foam material. For example, the foam may have an IndentationLoad Deflection (ILD) of 15. It should be understood by those skilled inthe art that ILD is a direct measurement of how soft or hard a memoryfoam is. This internal foam may help create the expansion forces withinthe cells 132 to provide for self expansion after compression. Theinternal foam may completely fill the entire volume, or a substantialportion of the entire volume the cells 132. Similar to the cells 24described hereinabove, an outer envelope 142 may encircle and enclosethe cells 132. The outer envelope 142 may be made from a flexibly rigidnonporous material, such as polyurethane. It should also be understoodthat foam may also be included within the cells 24 of the fall mat 10.

The fall mat 100 may include similar layers to the fall mat 10, such asa bottom foam layer 144. This layer 144 may also comprise foam having 50ILD. This foam 144 may have hardness similar to the foam found withinthe top pad 116. In other words, the foam of the top pad 116 may also be50 ILD foam. It should be understood that the foam layers 144, 116 maybe harder or softer than 50 ILD in some embodiments.

In operation, the climber 112 may transport the fall mat 100 to adesirable boulder 114, rock or other wall to climb. During thetransportation, the bottom body 118 may be in a compressed and rolled-upstate, similar to the fall mat 10 as shown in FIG. 4. When a desirablelocation is reached, the climber 112 may unroll the compressed fall mat100. To unroll the compressed fall mat 100, the climber 112 may first berequired to unfasten hook and loop fastening material that holds thattop pad 116 in position around the rolled up bottom body 118. Then, theclimber 112 may unroll the bottom body 118 and place the top pad 116into position above the bottom body 118. The top pad 116 and the bottombody 118 may be secured into place in this position.

The climber 112 may then open the manifold valve 120. Upon opening thevalve 120, the expansive pressure from the elasticity and resilience ofthe self-inflating cells 132 may cause the self inflating cells 132 ofthe bottom body 118 to expand or inflate. At this time, the check valve124 may also be allowing air to enter into the self inflating cells 132because the pressure in the system may be less than the ambient airpressure. Air then enters the bottom body 118 through the valves 120,124. Once the fall-mat is fully expanded, the climber 112 may close themanifold valve 120 to prevent air from entering or leaving the bottombody 118 through this valve.

When the climber 112 falls onto the mat 100 from a height so that thepressure in the system exceeds the predetermined level, the pressurerelief valve 126 may be opened in order to relieve the pressure in thesystem and prevent the self inflating cells 132 from bursting orbecoming otherwise damaged. Once the system stabilizes on a fall, thepressure relief valve 126 again closes. When the climber 112 is removedfrom the mat 100, the pressure within the system becomes less than theambient air pressure, and the check valve 124 begins to allow airflow tore-enter into the system.

To pack up the fall mat 100 for transportation once the climber 112finishes, the climber 112 may once again toggle the manifold valve 120into an opened state. The climber 12 may then separate the bottom body118 from the top pad 116 by rotating the top pad 116 about the bottombody 118 with the hinge 122. In this position, the climber 112 maycompress the bottom body 118 of the fall mat 110 to force the air out ofthe self inflating cells 24 through the manifold valve 120. Thiscompression may overcome the expanding tendency of the self-inflatingcells 132. The climber 112 may roll the bottom body 118 up, similar tothe fall mat 10 as shown in FIG. 3. Then, the climber 112 may surroundthe rolled bottom body 118 with the top pad 116. The top pad 116 maythen remain in a surrounded position about the rolled up bottom body 118for transportation and storage. For example, a first hook and loopportion 140 of the bottom body 116 may integrate with a second hook andloop portion 140 at a proper location of the top pad 116.

It should be understood that the fall mat 100 may include a plurality ofmanifold valves, check valves, and pressure relief valves. For example,each of the cells 132 may include its own individual pressure reliefvalve or check valve. In other embodiments, each of the left side 134and right side 121 of the manifold may include a manifold valve, checkvalve and/or pressure relief valve.

Elements of the embodiments have been introduced with either thearticles “a” or “an.” The articles are intended to mean that there areone or more of the elements. The terms “including” and “having” andtheir derivatives are intended to be inclusive such that there may beadditional elements other than the elements listed. The conjunction “or”when used with a list of at least two terms is intended to mean any termor combination of terms. The terms “first” and “second” are used todistinguish elements and are not used to denote a particular order.

While the invention has been described in detail in connection with onlya limited number of embodiments, it should be readily understood thatthe invention is not limited to such disclosed embodiments. Rather, theinvention can be modified to incorporate any number of variations,alterations, substitutions or equivalent arrangements not heretoforedescribed, but which are commensurate with the spirit and scope of theinvention. Additionally, while various embodiments of the invention havebeen described, it is to be understood that aspects of the invention mayinclude only some of the described embodiments. Accordingly, theinvention is not to be seen as limited by the foregoing description, butis only limited by the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:
 1. A fall mat comprising: a bottom body including at least oneself inflating cell in operable communication with a valve, wherein thevalve is exposed to the ambient environment; and a top pad made from afoam material connectable to the bottom body such that the top pad is anadjacent layer above the bottom body.
 2. The fall mat of claim 1,wherein the self inflating cell has an outer envelope having anelasticity and resilience such that the at least one self inflating cellhas a tendency to expand to a full volume state when the valve is in anopen state.
 3. The fall mat of claim 1, wherein the bottom body furtherincludes a bottom layer of polyurethane beneath the at least one selfinflating cell.
 4. The fall mat of claim 1, further comprising a firstcover surrounding the at least one self-inflating cell and a secondcover surrounding the top pad.
 5. The fall mat of claim 4, furthercomprising a hinge located along an edge of the bottom body and the toppad, the hinge connecting the first cover and the second cover such thatthe top pad is configured to rotate about the bottom body along theedge.
 6. The fall mat of claim 5, wherein the at least oneself-inflating cell is a plurality of elongated self-inflating cellsextending across an entire length of the bottom body, the plurality ofelongated self-inflating cells oriented in an adjacent fashion to definea support surface.
 7. The fall mat of claim 6, further comprising an airdistribution system connecting each of the plurality of elongatedself-inflating cells to the valve.
 8. The fall mat of claim 1, whereinthe bottom body is compressible and roll-able into a compressed androlled up position, and wherein the top pad is securable about thecompressed and rolled up bottom body.
 9. The fall mat of claim 8,further comprising hook and loop material configured to secure the toppad in an adjacent position above the bottom body, and furtherconfigured to secure the top pad about the compressed and rolled upbottom body.
 10. The fall mat of claim 1, wherein the foam material ofthe top pad is polyethylene.
 11. The fall mat of claim 7, wherein thevalve is a manifold valve that is changeable between an open positionand a shut position, and wherein the fall mat further comprises a checkvalve and a pressure relief valve.
 12. The fall mat of 11, wherein theair distribution system includes a conduit having a diameter greaterthan ¼ an inch and less than ½ an inch.
 13. The fall mat of claim 11,further comprising a first cover surrounding the at least oneself-inflating cell and a second cover surrounding the top pad and ahinge located along an edge of the bottom body and the top pad, thehinge connecting the first cover and the second cover such that the toppad is configured to rotate about the bottom body along the edge,wherein the manifold valve, the check valve, and the pressure reliefvalve and the air distribution system are located on a side of the fallmat proximate the hinge.
 14. A fall mat comprising: a top pad; and abottom body that is self inflatable; wherein the bottom body and the toppad are securable in an adjacent position where a bottom surface of thetop pad abuts a top surface of the bottom body top pad and the bottombody share a plane; and wherein the bottom body is detachable from thetop body and is compressible and roll-able into a compressed and rolledup position, and wherein the top pad is securable about the compressedand rolled up bottom body.
 15. The fall mat of claim 14, furthercomprising a plurality of self inflating cells housed within a cover ofthe bottom body.
 16. The fall mat of claim 15, further comprising an airdistribution system and a valve in communication with the plurality ofself-inflating cells wherein the valve is exposed to the ambientenvironment.
 17. The fall mat of claim 15, wherein the plurality of selfinflating cells each has an outer envelope having an elasticity andresilience such that the at least one self inflating cell has a tendencyto expand to a full volume state when the valve is in an open state. 18.The fall mat of claim 17, wherein the plurality of self inflating cellsextend across an entire length of the bottom body, the plurality ofelongated self-inflating cells oriented in an adjacent fashion to definea support surface.
 19. The fall mat of claim 15, wherein the bottom bodyfurther includes a bottom layer of polyurethane beneath the plurality ofself inflating cells.
 20. The fall mat of claim 14, further comprisinghook and loop material configured to secure the top pad in the adjacentposition above the bottom body, and further configured to secure the toppad about the compressed and rolled up bottom body.
 21. The fall mat ofclaim 15, wherein the top pad is polyethylene foam.
 22. The fall mat ofclaim 14, wherein the top pad is housed within a first cover, andwherein the bottom body is housed within a second cover.
 23. The fallmat of claim 14, wherein the top pad is connected to the bottom bodyalong an edge with a hinge such that the top pad is rotatable about thebottom body along the edge.
 24. The fall mat of claim 16, wherein thevalve is a manifold valve that is changeable between an open positionand a shut position, and wherein the fall mat further comprises a checkvalve and a pressure relief valve.
 25. The fall mat of 24, wherein theair distribution system includes a conduit having a diameter greaterthan ¼ an inch and less than ½ an inch.
 26. The fall mat of claim 24,further comprising a first cover surrounding the at least oneself-inflating cell and a second cover surrounding the top pad and ahinge located along an edge of the bottom body and the top pad, thehinge connecting the first cover and the second cover such that the toppad is configured to rotate about the bottom body along the edge,wherein the manifold valve, the check valve, and the pressure reliefvalve and the air distribution system are located on a side of the fallmat proximate the hinge.
 27. A fall mat comprising: a top pad surroundedby a first cover; a bottom body that includes a second cover surroundinga plurality of self-expanding cells and a protective bottom layer thatis located under the plurality of self-expanding cells; wherein the toppad and the bottom body are connected along an edge at a hinge such thatthe top pad is rotatable about the bottom body along the hinge.